ALTAROMA: discover artisanal intelligence

By Elisabeta Tudor

Celebrating Rome and Italian Craftsmanship

Another Couture season, another dose of Alta Moda in Rome. This time around, Artisanal Intelligence (A.I.), an event held bi-annually, introduced the “A.I Grand Tour,” a creative and fashionable journey through Rome's cultural heritage seen from a contemporary perspective.

The Grand Tour at Artisanal Intelligence, ALTAROMA, Courtesy of PR

Supported by ALTAROMA – Rome's bi-annual fashion event for Italian and international Couture and ready-to-wear that took place from July 8th to 10th, 2016 – A.I. is a project dedicated to the celebration of craftsmanship and fashion projected into an undoubtedly Italian experience. The event usually takes place in galleries, artistic spaces, and ateliers around town, in order to reveal Rome's unusual and hardly accessible historical places, as well as emerging talents that deserve some exposure, but this season, for the second consecutive time, A.I. was hosted inside ALTAROMA's main runway and exhibition hall (Ex-Dogana) in the outskirts of Rome.

from left to right: Giovanni Calvario, Clara Tosi Pamphili, Alessio de Navasques at Artisanal Intelligence, ALTAROMA

In this context, Alessio de'Navasques, co-founder of A.I., together with Clara Tosi Pamphili, dissected and analyzed the impact that Rome's history and style decades have had on today's up-and-coming international fashion designers, artisans, and artists by exhibiting fashion design and contemporary art that made references to Rome's historical and contemporary culture, while focusing on the art of discovery and travel.

The Grand Tour at Artisanal Intelligence, ALTAROMA, Courtesy of PR

“The Grand Tour is the exploration of a place and of ourselves,” explains Alessio de'Navasques. “It is the romantic research of experiences dictated by other memories, other architectures, other monuments: a personal quest that involves the courage to look beyond the surface.”

Highlights of the exhibition included the project “Romantic Chemistry” – clothing, accessories, and images by the designers and artists Celeste Pisenti and Stefano Russo that explore the fusion of science and philosophy that culminates in beauty – as well as a look into traditional shoe making with a contemporary twist (by Manfredi Manara) and further craftsmanship, such as Dutch millinery (by Haetts), hand-dyed cashmere accessories (by Cesare Gatti), and intricate leather accessories (by Maria Sole Ferragamo), as well as the repurposing of vintage fabric into new garments (by Gergei Erdei). These highlights – next to further design works by international and Italian designers, including Masakatsu Tsumura, Theodora Bak, Boglárka, as well as video art by Livia Cannella and an exploration inspired installation conceived by the reputed young English artist, Ophelia Finke – all served as guiding threads for the exhibition.

The installation by Ophelia Finke at Artisanal Intelligence, ALTAROMA

“We want to talk about Rome, about the young designers and artists it welcomes, about its cultural history and the impact it has on artists worldwide – there is so much creativity in this city, and so much space for cultural projects,” concluded Alessio de'Navasques.